i"ve been wanting to put stripes like the viper for a while but really didnt know how too.... was it difficult to put on or did you have them done... how much would it cost if i was to get them done....

 

Mines a variation on the Viper Stripe.


DETAILS ON THE INSTALL

Stripe was custom installed by a local sign shop. I designed the stripe on strips of paper and made an electronic file and gave it to the sign shop. I did mockups in both miniature and full size before I committed to the sign shop.

 

I installed these myself. I figured with a total out of pocket cost of $45, If I fail, no big deal. But It turned out awesome. Looks factory good.But I consider myself pretty good at these types of things...

After I finished the initial striping I was feeling about 80% happy with the job I did on the stripes. What was bothering me was the bad trim edging I did on some parts, the 'randomness' of the back end, and the lack of contrast. So I got up this morning, got some SILVER pinstriping and went to work. This enabled me to straighten some lines that looked a little crooked to me and cover a few glitches, not to mention get better contrast. Then I went around to all the bad edging and cut small black strips to seal up all the edges. Looks much better. Even from 1 foot away! Then I decided to clean up the rear end by putting black on the licence plate light holder. This helped smooth out the look a lot.
So there you have it. I now feel 98% happy with the job and will probably leave it this way for a while. It's always easy to pull off the striping and pinstriping.

Here is the final result I'm happy with...

 

Skottoman-- Great look!!! I've thought about stripes on and off... I'm wondering, can you wax the stripes? Or maybe you just wax around them?

Godspeed.

 

I knew you guys wanted me to come out of my box . Chuck I think the "Cobra" stripes look good on your car. Nice color too! If my 03' was blue I'd stripe it like yours.

My 2003 MCS is almost ready to paint and it will be just about ready. I need to pick-up a windshield and a couple pieces of trim. Any one want to guess the price of a Coop' windshield?

The Viper stripe comment kinda gives me an idea of your age?

Take care (and please drive safe),

Mike

 

The silver around the black is so hot right now.

 

Yeah, I tried white, but it looked too much like the stock 'S' stripes. The silver looks almost the same from a distance, but when closer it looks better. A little subtler I think. I'm still debating the back end of the car and whether or not I should just do viper (cobra) stripes down to the bottom of the bumper and leave the aero kit valance alone. As far as waxing...I'm gonna wait a week for the stripes to cure and then wax first carefully around them, and possibly just go for it and wax over them if they are stuck good enough.

I'll probably leave it like this for a while...looks pretty unique to me. Hey, and for $45 I'll take it.
Cheers,
Skottoman

 

looks great and you cant beat 45 bucks. however I absolutely guarantee you that mine are 7" with a 3.5" gap.


And cobra vs viper? well I only called 'em viper because that was how I saw them originally advertised (from mini-madness I think).

Cheers,

Chuck

 

That's weird, because if you compare the front photos, I have as much material around the outside of the bonnet scoop as you do, but I have a larger gap around the mini logo. 4 3/4"....I measured my stripes and they are 7"
Hmmmm...must be the twilight zone...

 

ok ok, let me rephrase. My stripes "started" at 7" wide. when going around the curved surfaces I occasionally had to trim to get them to look right and stay parallel. But absolute max width is 7". and the gap is really 3 7/16". I was restricted to this because of the way they printed the sunroof cover.

you're right about the logo though. In front and in back it looks like you've got more gap. I suspect they shrunk the logo to save cost

 

Your car looks great, Chuck. I've got the IB/IB too. I was wondering about the same 'Cobra/Viper' stripes in yellow.
Question. How is it to remove the original MCS stripes, especially when their 1 3/4 years old. Are there concerns with clean up or finish differences where the old stripes are?
Kirk

 

hmmm sorry cant help you there. I bought my MCS sans stripage. I know several folk have done it though (if memory serves DiD has done it thrice?). Try a search and you may get lucky.

 

No problem removing the stock stripes. I had mine on for 2 years. Just peeled them off when the car was parked in the hot sun, and used some goo off to clean up the left over adhesive. Easy. Also, there were slight differences in the finish (no scratches under the stripes), but after a few weeks and washes, you can't tell at all now. No color fade to speak of.

 

I am in the process of getting the work done with a sign shop, that others have used and recommended their work. I am getting the Viper/Cobra Stripes done a 8" wide and they are going to be shadow style. Thanx for all the info. BTW the black stripes with the silver pinstripe look absolutely , if only I had the black top in my car.

Danny

 

Thanks, Skottoman.:smile: Next is to find the new stripes and decide if I want to try it myself. I'm good for the mechanical stuff--might get my artist daughter to help with this, though.
Hmm.--8" wide. Sounds interesting.

 

Here's a tip for those trying it yourselves...I used masking tape to create the perfect spacing down the center. Using 4 pieces (plaved side by side) I got the 4 3/4" I needed. It was very easy to center by using the split in the windshield molding, and the mini logo in front. No trimming was required. Also I would recommend the clay bar treatment to make sure the paint is absolutely smooth. Mine are perfectly smooth with no bumps! Here's some pics of the tape before I striped.

 

Great looking stripes, I must admit!

Matt W
http://www.mightystripes.com